Spider Lad

Noboody ever put 'science' forward as a way of answering societal problems. You're inventing something to score a point on an argument that doesn't exist. As for your sweeping generalisation: "the types of individuals who strive for a secular society tend to also believe that science can and will have all the answers". What types of people are these because they certainly aren't scientists nor are they secularists? None that I know. On a quick side note, I have actually studied Christian theology and the influence of Kant on it.

I hate that creepy magician hand thing. They always move so unnaturally and even if you don't figure out exactly how it's done the game's half given away by the spastic hands. Always looks crap even with some of the best guys who do it.

Religion isn't at the core of a moral society as you seem to be suggesting. Religion seizes upon morality. The modern interpretaions of beliefs are often hardly recognisable from the way they were followed in the past. The unchanging word of God appears to be very malleable. They just reflect the shifting moral zeitgeist we all adhere to. You don't seem to understand what science or secularism is. Science; Systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. Some questions don't deserve an answer. If you know enough about the universe you will understand that posulating "why?" can be rather silly but there is always a "how?" and this what science attempts to answer. Secularism; The view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs or public education. Secualrism does not reject ethics, philosophy or metaphysics.

All the people going on about the importance of religion to our history are totally missing the point. Steam trains are very much an important part of our history, infact I'm rather fond of steam trains but that doesn't mean I believe steam trains are necessary today. Their time has passed.

cba

Ok, so wide spread delusion is ok by you is it? That kind of thinking is the enemy of reason. Is there not something rather backward about teaching people to be satisfied with not understanding the world?

It's nice to believe in fairies but that doesn't make it true.

Here you go again with your 'eastern solution' to religion. You may also consider learning a bit more about secularism. Government is too intwined with religion and this has a marked influence on it's decision making and forming of laws. It is not enough to argue that this reflects the public it serves because that is simply not true. From a heterophenomenological point of view it is very easily justifiable for me to 'push aside' your 'mystical experiences'.

I propose we start a real atheist movement where we campaign for total secularism. I no longer want to be held to ransom by mystics and the superstitious. I'm sick to death of people thinking they have to pansy around the opinions and beliefs of people who've formed those beliefs based on no evidence or reason. A power shift is long overdue and people of reason, knowledge and understanding should be able to take control of their lives and how they are governed.

I think people will simply spend more on alcohol not drink less and spend the same. There's nothing to suggest otherwise. Like the way people won't get their teeth fixed but happily splash out on a bit screen TV. Raising alcohol duty is another 'stealth' tax, not the government expressing it's concern for our wellbeing. If they really cared and it was that much of a problem they'd simply ban alcohol and we all know that's not going to happen. To be seen to be doing something 'positive' while simultaneously lining their pockets is a fairly common occurence within the authorities.

Slash.

To side-step all the philosophical bubblegum chewing and head straight for the meat I'd suggest two very useful books on different subject matter. Each giving very stisfying accounts to different sets of questions we all ask. The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins Consciousness Explained - Daniel C Dennett

Yeah, I like to chuck the old arra's now and again. Half my mates hate it though. You know you're a real local when they keep your darts behind the bar for you.

Look at as many cues as you can, and then buy the cheapest one that you like ! When you become familiar with it you'll find that it's either too long or too short; too thin or too thick; too light or too heavy; or too stiff or too whippy. You will then have enough knowledge to choose a cue that suits you perfectly. Regarding price, a more expensive cue may be better made, but if you don't like the feel of the cue - for whatever reason - then you'll have wasted your money!

Are you allowed milk with your corn flakes? I think you'd fare far better on that kind of diet if you had the milk.

There's ten times more to Giaco's riding than TGS. He has the skill and accuracy to stay on the bike in tricky situations, he's not just about hucking it up big things in the street. Don't attempt to categorise him with the '3-trick-pony' street riders you see on videos on here most of whom would fall right on their arses the moment they're more than a metre away from concrete. Plus I'd be pretty sure that most of the footage of Giaco you're going to see in this DVD is captured on his first attempt.

But I'm guessing you're not funding your trip yourself though... What exactly are you sacrificing for this cause exactly? Looks like a free ride for you from my perspective. Reminds me of those people that go skydiving or climb the Andes and visit the Incan ruins 'for charity'.

They didn't have the foresight to make such a decision actively. Some people may, now, after coming into contact with more 'developed' societies decide that's not what they want but them not getting there themselves because they chose not to, uninfluenced, isn't true.

To suggest that not developing was a conscious decision is laughable. Might I remind you that hunter gatherers also lived in what we now call Europe for a long, long time. People we would call primitive by todays standards.

You mean you could look at Africans as an evolutionary 'crocodile' or 'shark'? Relatively unchanged from their ancestors because they've managed to survive in their environment well as they are.

Evolution can happen over short periods too, even in large mammals. The ivory poaching industry put pressures on elephants which resulted in selection favouring those elephants which grew shorter tusks. Those with shorter tusks would survive longer into adulthood and have more oportunities to reproduce resulting in an increase in the gene pool of genes which favour this feature. Humans, however, are so numerous that we have reached a homogeny which would be difficult to overcome. The differences you see most of the time will be mainly down to environment however Ben's 'balloon' explaination illustrates the point brilliantly when you're talking about differences that can't be overcome when local environmental factors are removed.

She's dangling the bogus carrot of reconciliation in front of you whilst simultaneously riding some other donkey.

Education isn't stored in your genes. Influence on the potential people are able to fulfil, not influence on the genes which control cognitive capacity. I haven't got time to address the can of worms that is your misunderstanding of evolution further.

I remember the fuss about a proffesor who made claims about race and intelligence a few years ago. There was an attempt to publicly disgrace him and the guy lost his job. I thought that it was actually the people who went after him who were behaving in a racist manner. They instantly judged a whole group of people without rationalising it. They could have just looked past it and tried to see people as individuals. My IQ is quite high but I don't instantly assume that I have more authority to speak on behalf of the most of the population on what's best for them. White, middle-class, knee-jerk liberals are the bane of society.

I hate these lots, you get them in Liverpool city centre too. The same bunch in the same spot. A big problem I have withn them is the don't actually work. The irony...